THE POLAR STAR
Next
to the "Orloff", "Moon of Mountains", and "Shah", the largest and
finest diamond which belonged to the Russian Crown, is the "Polar
Star". It was purchased by England for the Imperial Regalia, and is
remarkable for its purity and luster. It is brilliant cut, and weighs
40 carats.
THE MOON OF MOUNTAINS
After
unravelling the intricate history of the "Orloff", so often interwoven
with that of the "Moon of Mountains", the tragic story of the latter
gem flows smoothly enough. That this diamond originally belonged to the
Mogul emperors, and passed from them together with a vast quantity of
other treasures, to Nadir Shah, is highly probable. It seems to have
been in the Persian conqueror's possession for many years. It was most
probably found in Delhi the place, of all those visited by his
destroying hosts, by far the most likely to have harbored a rare stone,
such as this. It was said to have been one of the two large diamonds
which ornamented Nadir's throne, and which were respectively known as
the "Sun of the Sea", and the "Moon of Mountains".
Shafrass,
an Armenian, became the possessor of it by murdering the owner of the
diamond. Through negotiations Prince Orloff bought it from Shafrass
for Catherine of Russia, 1766, for 90,000 pounds sterling and a patent
of nobility. The Armenian had no connection with the "Orloff" as some
claim.
106
Flickr
Stumbleupon
Scribd
